Nation Radio – July 14, 2012

While the UFA “frenzy” remains a sort of tepid, apathetic singles dance, in the distance one can hear the rumble of thunder that signifies the impending battle between the league and the NHLPA. Gary Bettman has already fired a few shots over the bow of Donald Fehr and company, so it looks like the CBA talks are going to be…contentious at the very least.

For now, we’ll continue to ignore the whole “there might be another lock-out” thing and keep on talking trades and stats. This week, Allan invited number crunchers and hockey writers from around the league including Benjamin Wendorf, James Mirtle and Corey Pronman to help with our denial.

First up is Ben Wendorf, the editor of SBN’s Artic Ice Hockey and a contributor to NHLNumbers.com. Ben talked about the Jets 2012 draft performance as well as the club’s free agent signings and development camp.

Globe and Mail’s Leafs writer James Mirtle is guest number 3. He and Allan go over Toronto’s swap of Luke Schenn for James Van Reimsdyk and whether the ex-Flyer will play center for the Leafs or not. Shane Doan, free agency and NHLPA negotiations are also discussed.

Eric T. Of Broadstreet Hockey and NHLNumbers has recently published a number of fascinating articles on the impact of neutral zone play, particularly zone entries. He and Allan go over his studies and what they might mean for hockey analysis and strategy.

The Feb.25 NHL Trade Deadline is fast-approaching and the rumours are running rampant. From Wayne Simmonds trade speculation to the latest on Matt Duchene, the NHL Rumour Roundup brings you the latest updates and speculation from around the hockey world. Wayne Simmonds being traded? Twitter went into a frenzy this week when a Philadelphia beat…